Femoroacetabular impingement syndrome--efficacy of surgical treatment with regards to age and basic diagnosis.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to assess the outcome of hip preserving surgery for femoroacetabular impingement relative to the condition resulting in FAI and to the patient's age at the time of the surgery. METHODS: With the conditions for exclusion duly met, enrolled in our study were a total of 100 hip joints (83 operated on with the aid of SHD, 17 with AMIS). The minimum follow-up period was 12 months, and the mean follow-up time was three years four months. WOMAC and NAHS questionnaires were used as rating instruments. To analyse the significance of the differences relative to the age at the time of surgery and to the basic diagnosis leading to FAI and subsequently to surgical operation we used non-parametric forms of analysis of variance (Friedman test and Kruskal-Wallis test), i.e., comparisons of the patients' pre-operative and postoperative states, estimation of the rate of improvement in the postoperative functional skills in relation to the age at the time of surgery and/or relative to the basic diagnosis necessitating surgical intervention, with respect to statistical significance at the level of p < 0.05. RESULTS: As testing of our cohort of patients and results analysis showed, the youngest group (<30 years) compared with the rest of the cohort shows greater postoperative improvement and consequently also a better surgical result. Proof was also obtained that the diagnosis leading to surgery for FAI has no effect on the patient's pre- or postoperative state or on the degree of improvement. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study affirm the relevance of hip preserving surgery, especially in younger-aged groups.